Amid the resignation of Abdullahi Ganduje as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Governors elected on the platform of the party, Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), have described the development as a natural step in the party’s ongoing evolution.
Speaking in a communiqué issued after their two-day strategic meeting in Benin City, Edo State, on Saturday, the governors indicated that this leadership change aligns with the party’s broader commitment to internal reforms and adaptation.
The Chairman of the forum and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, who read the communiqué at the close of the meeting, emphasised the forum’s dedication to strengthening party cohesion and promoting people-centred development.
Signed by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State, Fred Itua, he added that the acknowledgement of Ganduje’s resignation as National Chairman was presented as a natural progression.
Uzodimma said, “This meeting provided a crucial platform to harmonise development strategies, reinforce party cohesion, and reaffirm our Forum’s dedication to people-centred development, institutional accountability, and inter-governmental collaboration.
“The APC remains the most institutionally coherent political platform in Nigeria, with unmatched records of reforms, electoral success, and national unity, signalling the party’s confidence in its enduring appeal.”
“His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s resignation is in tandem with the party’s continued evolution,” the communiqué read, suggesting a strategic move within the party’s framework rather than a crisis.
“While no further details were immediately provided on the specifics of his departure, the emphasis on ‘Evolution’ hints at an internal repositioning to strengthen the party’s future.
A notable highlight of the meeting was the formal welcome of the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, into the fold of the APC.
The Forum recognised Eno’s decision, along with his supporters, as a reflection of “a growing national consensus on the transformative policies being executed by President Tinubu’s administration.”
The governors undertook a comprehensive appraisal of Nigeria’s economic, social, security, and political trajectory, expressing satisfaction with the renewed coordination between federal and state institutions.
They particularly commended the prioritisation of fiscal reform, food security, energy transition, infrastructural modernisation, and social sector revitalisation.
“We are pleased with the renewed coordination between federal and state institutions, which is vital for national progress,” a governor who preferred anonymity remarked, stressing the importance of collaborative governance.
Acknowledging the effectiveness of macroeconomic stabilisation policies such as fuel subsidy removal, exchange rate unification, and debt rationalisation, the Forum expressed support for a strategic pivot towards social equity and inclusive prosperity.
The governors, however, stressed that “while economic indicators show signs of recovery, growth must be further democratised through expanded investments in food security, job creation, poverty eradication, MSMEs, and social safety nets.”
The PGF reaffirmed the critical role of sub-national governments as engines for economic renewal, committing to deepen economic decentralisation in line with Section 13 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
They welcomed the increase in fiscal transfers to states and the growing investor confidence in Nigeria’s economic outlook, noting that “multiple APC-led states are now attracting significant domestic and foreign direct investments, which is a testament to the enabling environment being created.”
